A court has ordered that Nigeria Police Force, Inspector-General of Police and the Commissioner of Police in Rivers State should be served by substituted means in the case involving invasion of residence of immediate past acting managing director of Niger Delta Development Commission.
Presiding judge of Port-Harcourt High Court, Hon. Justice E. N. Thompson, granted the request for police to be served by substituted means on Monday.
Counsel for former acting managing director, Sylvester Adaka, had sought the leave of court in a motion to serve the police by substituted means telling the court police had refused to accept service.
The former acting managing director, Dr. Joi Nunieh, earlier got an order from court restraining the police from arresting her.
The presiding judge adjourned to August 5 for hearing.
Speaking to newsmen, Adaka said he was unable to serve police court processes because they refused service.
He said that he would now serve the police by substituted means since the court had granted his request to serve by substituted means.
He said he had served other parties namely Niger Delta Development Commission, Senator Godswill Akpabio and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The parties yet to be served include the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector-General of Police and Commissioner of Police in Rivers State.
The lawyer representing DSS was in court on Monday.
The case was for hearing.
Dr. Nunieh got restraining order against the police after a failed attempt by security operatives to whisk her away.
Security operatives stormed residence of the former acting managing director and made to take her away but did not succeed.
The governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike, responded to a distress call by the former managing director and rescued her when he arrived at her residence.
Talking to newsmen about the incident, Dr. Nunieh said: “Senator Magnus Abe called me after a while that the CP in Rivers did not really know about it and that the CP was going to reach me. The CP did reach me and said he was not aware of what was going on. The CP asked that I send him my address and which I did and then I saw the cars come in. So I asked if that was the CP and they said no. Fortunately, I was just wise enough. I stayed by the door and they wanted to drag me so I just banged the door so they can’t come in.
“I now left the front door to call my governor to tell my governor that this is what has happened and he said no, I should not go anywhere, that he was on his way.”
Police image-maker, DSP Nnamdi Omoni (as he then was), however said that the Command was aware of the operation.
In a statement, the police image-maker said: “We state that the officers who were at the residence of the former Ag. MD, Joi Nunieh, were from the IGP Monitoring Team in Abuja and were here on official assignment. That before they proceeded to her residence, they observed the protocols and requisite standard operating procedures including going through the processes of arriving themselves at the Headquarters with their investigation activities duly signed and approved by the Commissioner of Police, CP Joseph G. Mukan.”
He also said the police wanted to arrest the former acting managing director over petition not related to issues surrounding Niger Delta Development Commission.
